Door construction



April 20 1926.

G. R. ZELLMER DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed NOV. 16

' inueizfor: Gea efii ezzmr Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. ZELLMER, 0F OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO MORGAN WOODWORK 'COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

noon CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed November To all whom it may comer-n:

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. ZELLMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Constructions, of which-the following is a specification.

The invention relates to wooden doors and has for its objectthe provision of a door of 'novel construction which is light, strong and durable, pleasing in appearance, susceptible of being manufactured rapidly at low cost and which combines the advantages of various types of prior door constructions without incorporating the objectionable features incidental thereto; Specifically the invention provides an improved door of the panel type in which the panels, stiles and rails are flush throughout, with appropriate constructional details rendering the same commercially practicable.

As previously manufactured and sold, wooden doors of the flush or sanitary type have been characterized by a veneer surfacing over a built-up core, the veneer being coextensive with the surface area of the door. Doors of this type, while satisfactory from the standpoint of appearance and cleanliness are extremely heavy, expensive and difficult of manufacture, mainly due to core construction problems such as a multi-"' plicity of component parts, proper seasoning 1n process and even drying after assembly. In doors of the panel type, it has been the universal practice to recess the panels, that is to say, to have the-surface of the panel sections, particularly at those port1ons which adjoin the stiles and rails, considerably below the surface ofthe latter. Panel doors do not present the massive appearance of the flush door and are ordinarily not so heavy. They may be made more eheaplyand for many requirements are entirely satisfactory. However, from the sanitary stand point, panel doors have been losing favor and are no longer permitted as a part of modern hospital equipment, principally because of the presence of ledges and recess corners which constitute dirt pockets.

The door of the present invention embodies the ,features of lightness, simplicity and cheapness of manufacture which charac- 'gq ,e panel doors, with the massive appear- 16, 1925. Serial No. 69,231,

understood that the invention is not confined in practical application to the precise structural details incorporated in that form, as such details obviously may be modifiedin various ways without departing from the comprehensive scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front. elevation of the door;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the door taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the door taken 011 the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;-

Fig. 4 is a vertical section corresponding generally to Fig. 2 but taken through a door which is modified somewhat .from that illustrated in Figs. 1, 2'and 3, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of the upper portion of a door such. as shown in Fi 1 showin the manner in which 'lass b 7 O D to each other, a number of .horizontal separating strips 12, positioned between the panels at intervals vertically thereof, two

stiles 13 whichare secured to the vertical margins of the panels and to the ends of the separating strips, top andbottom rails 15 which are secured to the horizontal margins of the panels and to the ends of the stiles,

and four joint covering strips 17 which cover the joints'between the outer margins of the panels and the inner margins of the stiles and rails. The panels 10-are preferably of laminated construction, and are covered with vertical-grained face veneers 18 of the wood in which the door is finished. The front and rear'faces of the door may be given the appearance of being vertically grained throughout, by covering the rails'15'with vertically grained face veneers 19.

the panels by tongue and groove connections -within the grooves.

are preferably mitered and the effect pro-- 22, to the ends of the separating strip by mortise and tenon connections 23, and to the ends of the rails by dowel pin connections 24. It will be understood, of course, that other types of connections between the parts may be substituted for those described.

The stiles and rails may be of solid or built up construction, and may be veneered in harmony with or contrast to the panels. The joint covering strips may also be of any desired finish.

In assembling the door construction, the panels 10 are secured to the opposite sides of the separating strips 12 by gluing, the

latter being of such thickness as to bring the surface of the panels flush with the surfaces of the stiles and rails on both sides of the door.

It will be readily appreciated that on a plane surface thus formed, the joints between the panels, rails and stiles will be prominent and moreover that on a production basis it is not possible to provide a closed or tight joint. Consequently in order to eliminate cracks from the surface of the door and to present a workmanlike appearance the joint covering strips 17 are employed. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the surface of these strips are made flush with the panels, stiles and rails, this being accomplished by removing, as by sawing, contiguous marginal ortions of the panels, stiles and rails after t ese parts have een assembled, to form therein respectively the complementary marginal grooves 11, 14 and 16.

The strips 17 fit snugly and are glued .The corners thereof duced is that of an inlay provided only for ornamental purposes.

door constructed in the manner described is much lighter than the ordinary flush door and far more sound proof because of its hollow construction, more leasing in appearance, and may be ro uced morerapidly as a straight manu acturing proposition for the reason that no stops. for seasoning or dryingare required after assemblyofthe panels with the other portions' is commenced and because theformw tion and fitting of the margins of the panels with those of the stiles and rails do not call for any high degree of precision.

In Fig. 4 is shown another way in which the margins of the panels may be associated with those of the stiles and rails. Instead of using tongue and groove connections, four strips 25 are permanently secured, preferably by gluing or nailing, or both, to the inner margins of the stiles and rails, and the panels are laid in upon and secured to such projecting strips after which the inlay strips 17 are applied.

If panes of glass 26 such as shown in Fig. 5 are desired in the door, one of the separating strips between the panels at theproposed location for the panes may be in the form of a broad strip 27 which more than coversthe area required for the openings for the panes, and the openings may be. cut through what is therebyrendered in effect a solid portion of the door.

It may be desirable in some cases to cover the joints between the panels, stiles and rails with a moulding rather than an inlay strip. It might also be desirable'for some purposes to provide more than a single panel on either side of the door. Other modifications and alternative constructions embodying the invention will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art which, as well as those suggested herein, are contemplated in presenting the following claims.

I claim 1. In a door construction, a plurality of spaced face panels, stiles and rails positioned flush with the panels in encompassing relation thereto and strips interposed between all the margins of the panels and the adjacent margins of the stiles and rails.

2. In a door construction, a plurality of spaced face panels, stiles and rails positioned flush with the panels in encompassing relation thereto and joint covering strips interposed between all the outer margins of the panels and theinner margins of the stiles and rails, the surface of the strips also being flush with the panels.

3. In a. door construction, two spaced face panels having grooves therein about their outer margins, stiles and rails positioned flush with the panels in encompassing relation thereto and having grooves therein about their inner margins complementary to the grooves in the panels, connections between the outer margins of the panels and the inner margins of the stiles and rails, and strips positioned in the grooves flush with the adjoining parts to cover the connections therebetween.

4. In a door construction, two spaced face panels having grooves therein about their outer margins, separating strips arranged horizontally at intervals between the panels, stiles and rails positioned flush with the panels in encompassing relation thereto and having grooves therein about their inner margins complementary to the grooves in the panels, connections between the ends of the separating strips'and the inner margins of the stiles, other connections between the outer margins of the panels and the inner margins of the stiles and rails, and strips positioned in the grooves flush with the adjoining parts to cover the connections there 'between.

5. In a door construction, two spaced face panels having grooves therein about their outer margins, separating strips disposed horizontally at intervals between the panels, stiles and rails positioned flush with the panels in encompassing relation thereto and having grooves therein about their inner margins complementary to the grooves in the panels, tongue and groove connections betwecn the ends of the separating strips and the inner margins of the stiles, other tongue and groove connections between the outer margins of the panels and the inner margins of the stiles and rails, dowel pin connections between the ends of the stiles and the ends of the rails, and inlay strips positioned in the grooves flush with the adjoining parts to cover the connections therebetween.

6. In a door construction, a face panel having grooves therein about its outer margins, rails and stiles positioned flush with one face of the panel in encompassing relation thereto and having grooves therein about their inner margins complementary to the grooves in the panel, connections between the outer margins of the panel and the inner margins of the stiles and rails, and strips positioned in the grooves flush with the adjoining parts to cover the connections therebetween.

7. In a door construction, two spaced panels, a separating strip disposed between the panels, stiles and rails positioned in encompassing relation to the panels, and one or more openings for glassformed within the separating strip and the solid composite structure presented by the door. a

8. In a door construction, two spaced face panels, separating strips disposed at intervals between the panels and including one relatively Wide strip, stiles and rails positioned in encompassmg relation to the panels, "and one or more glass openin s cut through the solid structure presented y the face door at the location of the wide separating strip.

9. In a door construction, two spaced face panels, stiles and rails positioned flush with the panels in encompassing relation thereto and having substantially fiat inner surfaces, strips secured centrally along said surfaces to separate the panels and provide oppositely disposed side surfaces to which the panels are secured, and inlay strips posi tioned in grooves formed partly in the outer margins of the panels and partly in the in ner margins of the stiles and rails.

10. In a door construction, a plurality of spaced face panels, stiles and rails positioned'flush with the panels in encompassing relation thereto and strips covering the j(1)lntS at all the marginal edges of the pane s.

11. A door construction comprising marginal stiles and rails, panels on both sides of the doors spaced to provide flush door surfaces, and strips interposed between the margins of the panels and the adjacent exposed portions of the marginal members in encompassing relation to the panels.

12. A door construction comprising stiles, rails, panels spaced to provide flush door surfaces, and strips interposed between the margins of the panels and the adjacent margins of the stiles in encompassing relation to the panels.

13. In a flush door construction, marginal rails and stiles, a panel within the confines of the rails and stiles, and separating strips disposed in an encompassing relation to the panel between its exposed outer margins and the exposed inner margins of the rails and stiles.

14. In a door construction, component frame and panel members disposed in external flush relationship, and separating strips interposed between all the adjacent exposed margins of the frame and panel members and flush therewith.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

GEORGE R. ZELLMER. 

